Cowboy Up
by PrsctrTails
Summary: Neil/Kristoph. Neil learns a secret from Kristoph's past. Remembers his vow to protect the young man. Does so. One of my Neil&Krissi fics.


The night air was bordering on cold; a front from Canada was the culprit

The night air was bordering on cold; a front from Canada was the culprit. Neil Marshall shrugged as he managed to quickly move from his truck to the backdoor of his house.

"Brrr!" The cowboy shivered as he got inside, casting his coat off. "Krissi?" Neil called out. "Are ya here?" No response. He wandered into the living room and found a small note written in Kristoph Gavin's perfect cursive handwriting.

Neil- went to pick up some food from this little place on the coast. Be back around 10. –Kristoph.

The prosecutor smiled. That was his Krissi. Always trying to do something fancy when Neil was happy with cold pizza. Of course, that had made the last few months quite memorable. All the fancy restaurants and home cooked meals.

As Neil made his way to their bedroom, he past the small room Kristoph had turned into a small office. He noticed the computer screen flickering. "Hmm." Neil said, smiling out of curiosity. He moved slowly into the room, slinking into the high-back leather chair and maneuvering the mouse.

Neil's eyes scanned the screen. Nothing much stuck out. Some pictures of two. Work stuff. All in all, it was pretty boring. Till something caught his eye; a single file labeled "7/15". That was about 4 weeks before they had met. He moved the mouse over, but, almost stopped, getting a bad feeling. He tabled the feelings and clicked it.

It puzzled him. All of the previous entries were written in beautiful, flowing English. This… this was different. Sadly different. What he read hurt Neil to his core. It seemed almost like a child had written it.

"Mr. Hammond hit me today. I don't know why. I was in the copy room when I accidentally bumped into him. He started saying mean things and I got scared. I turned to leave when I felt something hit me from behind. I fell down and passed out."

Neil sat, speechless. "God…." He said quietly. He continued reading.

"I woke up in my office and my head and chest hurt. My right eye was black. I stayed until I was sure everyone had left."

The last line caused the cowboy and veteran Prosecutor to bury his face in his hands and cry. It was simply the most horrible thing he'd ever read.

"I wish they would stop hurting me."

Neil closed the document and let his head droop. He had no idea things were that bad for Kristoph. He knew Krissi had been bullied, but not like that.

Not like that…..

You just don't do that to people, Neil thought to himself, especially people who had gone through as much as Kristoph. His life had been the exact opposite of Neil's.

Neil had grown-up with a loving family on a sprawling Texas ranch. Krissi had grown-up with abusive parents in Germany. Neil spent his younger days raising and riding horses. Krissi had raised his little brother Klavier after their parents abandoned them. Neil never had to leave anyone. Krissi had to leave Klavier with their aunt and uncle to attend Law School in the United States. Neil had lots of friends. Krissi had Neil.

Neil's mind tried to wrap around how this could have happened. Had Robert Hammond actually beaten the young man who was now his lover?

"The world…" Neil drawled. "…I hate it." He said slowly, rising from the chair. "People like that need to be taught a lesson…." He said to himself. People like Hammond never stopped. Words just didn't work.

But, fists did.

Neil cracked his knuckles as he grabbed his car keys. Saying nothing, he started his truck and began the short journey to the Grossberg Law Firm. His hands fiddled with the radio, trying to find something to listen to. He found nothing. He eventually shut off the radio and rolled the windows down and let the cool air whip against his shirt and trademark cowboy hat. His mind drifted.

He remembered it very clearly. The promise he made in the bar on that night. He had made it the minute the downtrodden young man had flung his arms around the cowboy and begged him not to let go. Neil vowed he never would. And as far as he was considered, this fell into that category.

He cleared his throat as he pulled into the parking garage and hid his truck in the shadow of a large, dreary concrete pillar. He scanned the dimly lit area. He noticed Hammond's car. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"Ok, Neil. Here we go." He said to himself as he slowly exited the car and proceeded to rip the side mirrors off of Hammond's obnoxiously large SUV. This brought him a measure of happiness, but he was still seeing red. How dare that old piece of shit hurt his Krissi.

His mind skipped around as he rode the elevator to the upper-floor offices. What he had for breakfast, Krissi's suit size. Things like that. As he leaned against the rear of the chamber, he just couldn't dispel that journal entry from his mind. It had burned itself in his head the minute he had read it. Neil resolved that after this was over, he and Krissi would get so drunk they wouldn't even remember this night.

"Huh." Neil wondered aloud. By now, he was talking to himself in his mind. "I wonder why Krissi took a job here. I mean, I've met mailboxes with better personalities than the people who work here." Marvin Grossberg was, for lack of a more erudite term, a fat bastard. Mia Fey's brain was a good 25 pounds smaller than her boobs. Diego Armando, whom Neil had known for awhile, was a friend. Albeit a friend who was a cinch for the asshole hall of fame. Then, there was Robert Hammond, who was living proof that shit can in fact pile up to astounding heights. It was amazing anyone would willingly want to work here. As he pondered, he smiled at the fact he had beaten every Defense Attorney who worked here at least 5 times in Court.

As the silver doors slid open, Neil grimaced at the stench of cheap aftershave. Neil figured these big shots could afford better stuff. As he weaved through the mess of cubicles and potted plants, his resolved strengthened. Someone had beaten the only man he truly loved. Neil punched a small hole in a cubicle wall. He wanted to set fire to the whole building, but managed to refrain from doing so. Barely. His normally soft blue eyes flamed as he approached the office.

"Alright, you bastard. Let's dance." Neil said as he barged in to an empty office.

Damn, that was a great entrance too…

Neil looked around. Hmmm, briefcase by the desk…. Tie and coat still on the rack…. Hammond was still here. Neil looked over the rather large office with disgust. It was typical. Everything was there to brag. He even had pictures of himself on his walls.

"Now that's tacky." Neil remarked. This was a far cry from his at the Prosecutor's Office. Even that kid with the frills didn't have a place this garish. Where was that sack of crap? Neil stepped out and observed the rows and rows of large offices. His eyes drifted about. There it was. Sitting snug in a windowless corner was the miniature office Krissi worked in. Neil moved stealthily, still looking for Hammond, and inched inside.

It was almost cute. Despite the downright tiny size, it was immaculate. Everything was clean. Not an ink stain or pile of paper in sight. As he admired that pristine workspace, he sighed. Kristoph really deserve better than this. He also laughed when he noticed an iPod with the label "Country Music" on it. Nice to know I've influenced him some, Neil thought.

A sharp buzz.

Neil pivoted and peered back into the cubicle area. There was his game. In the copy room. He hid behind the door as he waited for Hammond to return to his office. A fight in the copy room just didn't seem to have that dramatic vibe that Neil wanted. No, Neil wanted to embarrass this man in his own disgusting office.

With remarkable grace, Neil maneuvered himself back to Hammond's office. Hiding in the large shadow cast by the door. As he heard the approaching man whistle, he grabbed the tie from the coat rack. He watched with sharp eyes as Hammond entered, he smiled as threw the tie up and wrapped it around Robert Hammond's throat. He flailed immediately.

"Sorry." Neil began, laughter in his voice. "Are office hours up?" He twisted the tie and pulled harder, enjoying his role as the aggressor.

"Tell me…" Neil started in an inquisitive drawl, loosening the tie enough so the kicking man could talk. "Didn't you learn being a bully really doesn't pay off?"

"W….what?" Hammond wheezed, his face turning several odd shades of red and blue. He had just finished copying fliers for his book signing. Now, he was being strangled.

"July 15th." Neil spat, punching Hammond in the side. "Remember?"

Hammond shook his head, still trying vainly to break free from Neil's iron grasp. What the Hell was the Prosecutor talking about?

"What are you doing, Marshall?" Hammond gasped in a croaking tone that brought a smile to Neil's face.

With a firm, nearly disabling punch to Hammond's kidneys, Neil pulled off on the tie. A black and blue bruise mark highly visible. Clearly, this was just getting good. As Hammond collapsed, Neil landed a few strong kicks to the ribs, each blow sounding a dull 'thunk'. The cowboy grinned as Hammond tried to get to his desk. That little action earned him a boot to the neck.

"Why? Why do you think it's okay?" Neil demanded, pulling the telephone off the desk, just in case.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Hammond hissed. Clearly, Neil Marshall had gone completely insane.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Neil roared. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! Kristoph Gavin! That name ringin' any bells for ya?"

Hammond winced. What did the little blonde rookie have to do with this? The last time he had even spoken to him was in the copy ro- Oh. Shit.

"Marshall, I… he fell… He's clumsy and stupid." Hammond pleaded.

Neil was not amused. "He's only clumsy because he's scared of pieces of shit like you!" Neil practically screamed, moving closer. His fists clenched.

"It's.. just hazing… Everyone goes through it!" Hammond pleaded.

"Hazing?" Neil repeated, lifting the man by his over-gelled hair. "So, if he cries himself to sleep every night, that's just how it goes? Huh?"

Hammond tried a different route. "He's… a pussie, Marshall!! He doesn't have the guts to do this job! All he ever does is paperwork. And write about his boyfriend!"

Oh, this is great, Neil thought. "Boyfriend? Well, Robert… who do you think is kicking your ass right now?" The Cowboy taunted with near sadistic glee. "Surprise."

Hammond's face broke into a look of horror. What? This was the boyfriend? Wow. That jumpy little blonde was dating one of the best Prosecutors in the city. Thinking Neil was distracted, Hammond shook free and bolted for the door.

"Yeehaw!!" Neil hollered, quickly catching up with the fleeing man. He grabbed Hammond by the back of the neck, pulling him back. "Runnin' from a fight? Who's the pussie now?"

Hammond, his face twisted in fear and hatred, managed a riposte. "You're no better, attacking me like this…"

Neil only grinned. "No, this is called defending Honor. Besides, I've wanted to do this for awhile."

Hammond threw himself up, trying to knock Neil off-balance. It was a surprise, but futile. Neil had been a bronco rider by age 12. Handling a 40-something Defense Attorney was a snap.

The two tumbled to the floor, with Neil clearly the victor. He landed several punches into Hammond's back as he tried to immobilize the flailing coward; his smile easing into more of a serious frown.

"Do you think you can do that and get away with it?" Neil asked as he pulled Hammond over to a wall and pushed his chest against it. "Huh? Do ya?"

Hammond wheezed as he tried to futilely break free. His face was a mask of blood and hatred. It made Neil sick to look at it. It was all that was wrong with the world. Neil just wanted to break it. He placed his palm on the back of Hammond's head. He sighed.

"Don't you touch him again.." Neil whispered as he drove Hammond's face into the wall repeatedly. Slowly, the bloodstain on the wall began to multiply in size. Neil sped up the pace, not caring that Hammond's scream could be heard on the streets below.

The muffled crunch of the Defense Attorney's nose rang in Neil's ears. He threw the man to the floor with a scoff. He kneeled over the bleeding man with a grin.

"Now, if I find out you even messed with his tie, I'll finish the chat we started here tonight. Got it?" He asked, standing up to leave.

That was for you, Krissi.

As Kristoph set the table back at the house, he whistled. This dinner was going to be perfect All of the cowboys favorite foods. Mashed potatoes, corn bread dressing, Texas toast, butter cream gravy and finally, the chicken fried steaks that seemed the size of manhole covers. Oh, Neil was going to love this.

As the sound of the truck pulling into the driveway filled the kitchen. Neil exited the car slowly. He was totally normal, that same smile about his face. He casually opened the front door to the waiting arms of his young lover.

"Hey, Krissi." Neil said softly. "Sorry I'm late. I just had to take care of something for ya."

"Really?" Kristoph asked, leading Neil to the table. "Tell me all about it."

"Maybe later." Neil demurred, as he cast his gaze on the fully furnished table. This sure wasn't a bad way to end the night.

As the two eased into their bed, Kristoph lazily grabbed the remote to the TV. He clicked it on.

"Neil! Look, it's… my work." Kristoph said, shocked.

Neil looked up. "Huh. You're right." He said, trying to mask a smile.

The news was reporting something about Defense Attorney Robert Hammond being found "savagely" beaten in his office. Krissi seemed surprised, but clearly happy.

"Wow, someone beat up Mr. Hammond. Who would do that?" Kristoph asked aloud.

Neil Marshall smiled as he gave Krissi a peck on the cheek. "Whoever it was, I'm sure they had a good reason."


End file.
